


Autistic Creative Challenge 2016: Night Vale edition

by TheVioletSunflower



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Autistic Carlos, Autistic Creative Challenge, M/M, autism acceptance month
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-05-30 14:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 3,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6427996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheVioletSunflower/pseuds/TheVioletSunflower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a series of unrelated ficlets about an autistic Carlos in celebration of Autism Acceptance Month.<br/>I'm sure there will be more characters and tags added later as I write more.</p><p>Inspired by uniqueaspergirl's Autistic Creative Challenge on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. #RedInstead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For those who don't know, the group Autism Speaks has a campaign every year in April called Light It Up Blue where they wear blue and sell blue lightbulbs and such in the name of autism awareness. Most of the autistic community really doesn't like this campaign or Autism Speaks in general because they vilify autism and make it out to be a horrible thing that needs to be cured rather than just a different way of existing in the world. To protest Autism Speaks, many people wear red throughout the month of April and post about it on social media with the hashtag #RedInstead.

The package was waiting on the table for him when he got home. Carlos grinned, hands flapping in excitement as he ran to open it. He had been so worried it wouldn't come in time but here it was! And just in time!

Carlos's grin only widened as he pulled the new labcoat out of the box. It was perfect! Deep red, almost the colour of blood. So soft it almost felt like it wasn't there at all. Heavy enough to put a steadying weight on his shoulders. Decorated with glass beads that were just perfect for playing with to calm himself down. Everything exactly as he'd asked Josie to make for him.

Carlos put the new coat on and spun around, revelling in the way it felt as it moved. He closed his eyes. Yes. He could do this. He could wear this coat for a month. After all, red was his colour.


	2. Stimming

Carlos sat with Cecil's head in his lap. It was the end of a long day. Calculus had stopped working around noon and thrown everything completely off track. By one o'clock, Carlos had been so overwhelmed by all the new things he was learning and all the old things that weren't true anymore that his team had told him they wouldn't do any more work until he went home. Carlos had been almost in tears by the time Cecil got home.

And Cecil. Wonderful Cecil. That sweetheart who always knew what to do when things went wrong. Cecil had put his head down on Carlos's lap. Cecil hadn't asked him to say anything. Cecil knew exactly what Carlos needed right now.

Carlos slowly, gently, reached out to touch Cecil's hair. He stroked it slowly, concentrating on the way it felt under his fingers. The softness. The intimacy. The weight of Cecil's head in his lap. The love of Cecil's whole being in his heart. He slowly felt a smile return to his face. Everything would be okay. He would be okay.

"Thank you," he said quietly.


	3. Special Interest

"-so that's why that cactus we saw last week was glowing!" Carlos concluded. He looked up at Cecil who was just putting the last bite of invisible pie in his mouth. Carlos had started this story during the appetizers.  "Sorry," he said. "I'm talking about science too much. I do that."

Cecil shook his head quickly. "Carlos, I love to hear you talk about science!"

"You do?" he asked uncertainly.

"Of course I do. Your eyes light up like the stars that fill the infinite void, giving us some small light and comfort in a troubling world."

Carlos blushed. "You know I love it when you talk like that…"

Cecil reached across the table for his boyfriend's hand. "And you know I love you."

"Love you too," Carlos muttered.

Cecil smiled. "Tell me more about this cactus."


	4. Communication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is based on the way Carlos talks in episode 51 - Rumbling. No spoilers though.
> 
> Sorry about the huge block of text. That's how Carlos talks!

"So tell me about your day."

Carlos thought hard. He wanted to get this right. "Well, when I got to the lab the cage of the rabbit we caught yesterday was empty but the door wasn't unlocked so I was confused. I looked all over the cage but it wasn't there and there was no way it could have escaped and I started to feel nervous because what if it was a transdimensional rabbit and it was mad about being left in the cage? So then I stood in front of it and touched my chin and said 'hm' a lot and I was trying to figure out how we could explain to the rabbit that we weren't trying to imprison it, just to do science and understand it! And then the rest of the team came and stood with me and touched their chins too and I felt less nervous because they are really smart, Cecil, and I knew they could help if anything happened. And then Rochelle noticed that it was noon and we should all stop and eat something and I was so disappointed because I hadn't figured out what happened to the rabbit yet. So we all went and ate and I was thinking about the rabbit the whole time. And when we came back to the lab, we looked in the cage. And Cecil! The rabbit was there again! It wasn't a transdimenstional rabbit at all! It was just a rabbit that could turn invisible sometimes and it was too shy to turn back with all of us looking at it! And then I was so happy because I figured it out! And because the rabbit didn't disappear after all! It was just invisible!"

Cecil was smiling at him fondly. "I'm glad you had a good day, Carlos."


	5. Freebie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was no guidance for today, so I'm just going to write a slice-of-life thing.
> 
> This chapter is a bit longer and the autistic part isn't as clear, but it's adorable so who cares.

"Uncle Carlos!"

Janice rolled her wheelchair into the lab as fast as she could

Carlos smiled and bent down to hug his niece. "Hey Janice! What are you doing here?"

"We got let out of school early because a black hole appeared in the teachers lounge again and Steve said it was okay for me to come do science with you if you said I could! So can I, Uncle Carlos? Pleeeeeeeease?"

"Of course," said Carlos. "You want to be my mixer?"

"Yeah!" she said, throwing her arms in the air in excitement.

Carlos lead her over to the lower workstation he had built especially for her and got out the supplies for his demonstration: A beaker, a bottle of water, a bottle of oil, and a stir stick. He handed Janice the bottle of water. "Pour this water into the beaker until it reaches the line that says 200," he told her.

Janice did so, tongue sticking out in concentration.

"Good job!" he said. "Now add some oil to it so the whole thing is at the 400 mark."

Janice nodded solemnly and poured some oil into the beaker with the concentration and precision of a sniper trying to hit a squirrel from a mile away. When she was done, she looked up at Carlos for further instruction.

He handed her the stir stick. "Now see what happens when you stir it up."

Janice eagerly started to stir. A frown came over her face. "It's not working! Uncle Carlos, why isn't it mixing?"

"Because oil and water don't like to mix," he told her. "No matter how much you stir, you'll never be able to mix them."

Her eyes grew wide. "Really? Never?"

Carlos shook his head. "Not unless you add something else to it, like flour." He pulled a small bag of flour out of a box. "Go ahead, add a spoonful. See what happens."

Janice did so and gasped as the two liquids started to mix as she stirred. "It's like magic!"

"No," Carlos corrected. "It's science!"

"I wanna be a scientist when I grow up," Janice told him.

He grinned. "That's a great idea!"


	6. Food

Carlos practically danced across the kitchen to get the cinnamon. He took a deep sniff out of the jar before measuring the correct amount into the bowl of finely chopped fruit. Cooking was always his favourite chore. The exact measurement of the different ingredients. The warmth of the oven. The smells and textures of the different ingredients...

He took another deep breath as he poured the fruit filling into the pie crust. It was Cecil's favourite dish. He was so excited to treat his boyfriend to something nice!

He laid the top crust down and pressed it into the bottom crust, revelling in the way the soft dough felt under his fingers.

The door opened as Carlos slid the pie into the warm oven. He turned to look at his boyfriend, grinning. "Hey Ceec! Welcome home!"

Cecil looked around the kitchen. "Did you make a pie?"

Carlos nodded excitedly. "Peach! Your favourite!"

Cecil stepped forward and put his hands on Carlos's hips. He kissed his lips quickly and softly. Just the way Carlos liked it. "I love you."


	7. Spoons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In case people don't know, the spoon theory of disability basically says that if you have a disability you have less energy than people without disabilities and you have to ration it carefully to get through the day.
> 
> Look here for more information: http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

Carlos threw the papers down on the ground in frustration. He curled up on the couch, hugging his knees to his chest. He swore softly to himself. He thought his spoons were okay for today, but he must have miscalculated. "Cecil!" he managed to call out as his last bit of energy left him.

Cecil stuck his head into the living room and instantly ran to crouch beside Carlos. "Carlos, what happened?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

Carlos wordlessly gestured to the stacks of papers now scattered across the floor.

"The grant applications?"

He nodded.

"How long have you been working on them today?"

Carlos held up four fingers to indicate it had been four hours.

Cecil nodded and started to restack the papers. "It's time to take a break."

"Can't!" Carlos said desperately. "Need to finish!"

Cecil shook his head as he put the pile on the coffee table. "Carlos you need to take care of yourself. I don't want you to burn out."

"But..."

"You can do them tomorrow. I'll help you if you need."

Carlos sighed and leaned back into the couch feeling small and defeated.

"Do you want your weighted blanket and teddy bear?" Cecil asked.

Carlos nodded silently.

Cecil left and returned a moment later with the items. He laid the blanket over the exhausted scientist and placed the soft bear in his arms. He kissed Carlos's forehead. "I love you," he said quietly.

Carlos hugged the teddy bear tight to his chest and gave his boyfriend a weak smile. He hoped Cecil would understand that it meant he loved him too.


	8. Crowd

Carlos stopped and looked down the street. The portal was at the very end by the movie theater. In between him and it was a bustling crowd trying to get a good look at the glowing blue portal.

Carlos looked around. There was no other way to get to the portal except through the crowd. He briefly considered leaving and getting one of the other scientists to come deal with this.

The danger meter in his hand beeped. It wasn't quite in the red, but it was close. Everybody here would be in danger if he didn't do this. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders before starting to push his way through the crowd, not stopping to look at any of them.

"Carlos! How are you, darling?"

Carlos turned quickly to see the tiny old woman grinning up at him from beside one of her tall winged friends.

"Hey Josie," Carlos said. "Sorry I can't talk right now. I have important science to do!"

"Science?" Josie asked. "Well that can't be easy for you with all these people around."

Carlos shrugged and tried to pretend it wasn't a huge deal.

Josie clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "You should take better care of yourself, dear. Erika, can you get rid of the crowd please?"

The large winged being nodded once before stepping forward into the crowd. Carlos couldn't see what they were doing, but within seconds the street was clear.

He smiled at Josie. "Thanks."

"Of course, dear," she said, turning away. "Come, Erika. We'll see you on bowling night!"


	9. Phone call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late. I had a bit of a hectic day yesterday.
> 
> This chapter takes place between One Year Later and First Date.

Carlos stared at the phone. This was stupid. He'd called Cecil a thousand times before. What was so different now?

He sighed. He knew exactly what was different. Before, there was always a clear script to how the conversation would go. He would dial the number. Cecil would pick up. He would explain what he needed Cecil to tell his audience. He would hang up.

This time… Well this time he didn't know.

Carlos bit his lip. It would be okay. Cecil liked him, right? There's no way he would say no. So what was he afraid of?

He grabbed the phone as quickly as he could and dialed Cecil's number before he could change his mind.

It rang.

"Hey Carlos…"

His voice sounded low and dreamy.

"Cecil, I am calling for personal reasons."


	10. Lables

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure what this prompt means exactly, so if I guessed wrong, bear with me.
> 
> This takes place shortly after Condos.

"Cecil?" Carlos said a touch nervously as they unpacked the boxes for their kitchen. What if Cecil thought it was weird?

"Yes Carlos?" Cecil was grinning from ear to ear. Had been all day.

"Do you mind if I… put some lables up?"

"Labels?"

"Yeah. On the drawers and stuff. So we know where everything goes and things won't get all messy and disorganized?"

Cecil grinned even wider. "That's a great idea, Carlos! Want me to help you?"

He smiled. "Yeah, Cecil. That'd be great. Thanks."

Carlos kissed his cheek. "We're going to live together!" he exclaimed for the hundredth time that day.


	11. Collection

"And this one is for casual everyday wear," Carlos said, holding up a red tiedyed labcoat.

Janice nodded. Carlos had told her he had something to show her, but almost half an hour into looking at his collection of labcoats she still had no idea what he had meant.

"This one is one of my favourites," Carlos said, showing her what looked like a black sequined evening gown except with pockets big enough to hold a scientific calculator. "It's my labcoat for very special occasions, like when Cecil and I went to the opera for our anniversary."

"It's really pretty, uncle Carlos!" Janice told him. "Is that what you wanted to show me?"

"Right!" Carlos said, hanging the labcoat-gown back up and bouncing a bit in his excitement. He pulled a deep purple labcoat out of the back of his closet and held it up proudly.

Janice frowned. "Isn't that a bit small for you?"

"It's yours, silly," he said, grinning at her.

Janice's eyes grew huge. "Mine? Really?"

He nodded. "If you're going to be a scientist, you need a proper labcoat."

Janice grinned and threw her arms around Carlos. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

He smiled as he hugged her back. "Why don't we try it on?"


	12. Sensory Overload

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late. It's been a hectic week. I'll try to catch up by the end of April. No promises though.

Carlos stared at the list of numbers in front of him. They had stopped making sense hours ago. The light above his head was buzzing and flickering ever so slightly. Not enough that he would ever notice it under normal circumstances. But right now it was all he could think about.

A door opened far too loudly and his team came in from the break room chatting aimlessly about something or other. He couldn't understand what they were saying over the sheer noise they were making.

Carlos covered his ears. It was too much. He couldn't focus. Their voices got louder as they settled into their work stations around him. He closed his eyes and tried to shut out everything but the numbers.

Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and pulled away, looking up at the person who had touched him. "What!"

"Boss?" Nilanjana held her hands up as if in surrender. "Boss are you okay?"

He forced a smile. "I'm fine, Nils. Sorry I yelled. What do you need?"

"Uh, boss, maybe you should go home."

"I'm fine."

Nilanjana shook her head. "You're not fine. You're stressed about something. You need to go home and rest."

"But science…" he said pitifully.

"I'll take care of science," she told him. "Come on. I'll drive you home. You're no use to us like this. Go take care of yourself."

He sighed and stood up. "All right. Thank you Nils."


	13. Autistic Character

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I may have been watching a lot of Gilmore Girls recently…

"You know who my favourite character in this is?" Carlos asked over the end credits song.

"Who?" Cecil asked.

"Paris. She's passionate and she doesn't get why people do things sometimes and she doesn't always know how she's supposed to feel and why but she really does care about Rory and she wants her to be happy."

Cecil smiled. "She's a lot like you."

"I know, right!" he said, grinning. "And she's got her craft table like I've got my lab bench and she likes when everything is organized."

"She really is a good character."

Carlos nodded. They were silent for a long moment.

"You know who else I like?"

"Mm?"

"Luke. He pretends he's all gruff and doesn't care but underneath you know he…"


	14. Nonverbal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is heavily inspired by a very unpleasant incident a few months back.
> 
> Content warning: this chapter contains a depiction of a misunderstanding that makes a well-meaning Cecil inadvertantly make a meltdown worse for Carlos.

Carlos stood under the hot water and tried to breathe. He was okay. He would be okay. All he had to do was get through this shower and then he could go to bed and have a good cry and that would let the stress out and he would feel better.

He sighed and reached out to turn the water off. But when he twisted the handle, it fell off in his hand and crashed to the floor, landing on his foot.

It barely hurt, but Carlos felt something inside him break. He sank to the ground in the bathtub, sobbing.

There was a gentle knock on the bathroom door.

Carlos groaned. No he couldn't deal with Cecil right now.

The knock came again. "Carlos?" asked a voice. "Can I come in?"

 _No_ , he thought, but the word couldn't make it past his lips.

Cecil opened the door and crouched down beside the tub. "Carlos? Are you okay?"

Carlos shook his head.

Cecil frowned and reached out to touch his boyfriend's shoulder. Carlos made a distressed sound and pulled away from the contact. _Please. No. Stop_.

Cecil pulled back. "Carlos what's wrong? Talk to me."

 _No_ , he thought. _Please go_ , he thought. _Just give me a moment_ , he thought. All that came out of his mouth was an incoherant whine. He punched the wall of the bathtub in frustration.

Cecil nodded. "Hold on," he said. He dug into his pocket for his phone and opened the text-to-speech app he had downloaded just for moments like these. He handed the phone to Carlos. "What do you need?"

Carlos took the phone and stared at it for a moment before typing. "May I please have a moment alone," the app's robotic voice said. Carlos looked up at Cecil desperately.

Cecil nodded. "Of course, Carlos. I'm sorry."

Carlos looked down.

"Do you have your phone in here?" Cecil asked.

Carlos nodded silently.

"Okay," Cecil said. "Then I'll take my phone into the living room and you can text me if you need anything."

Carlos nodded and handed the phone back. He touched his hand to his mouth and moved it down and away from his body. Thank you. One of the few signs both he and Cecil knew.

"You're welcome," Cecil said as he left the room.

When the door clicked behind his boyfriend, Carlos leaned back against the edge of the tub and allowed himself to cry again.


End file.
